A/N: Alright, I finally remembered those disclaimers everyone puts in: No, I do not own anything out of Tales of Symphonia. Or Naruto. Never understood those, but whatever.

Music recommendations, since the opportunities for listening to headphones are few and far between here- Dropkick Murpheys are great- fast, hard punk with awesome lyrics when you listen to them. I defy anyone to listen to "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" and not immediately get pumped up. Also, in a change of pace, I recently realized how good the band Cake is. It's surprising, because they have a very different style. Either way, it's good. Oh, and obligatory Ska music because i feel like it- Streetlight Manifesto. Full Stop.

Ch. 5

In the morning, they awoke and set off. Colette seemed nervous, promising everyone over and over again that she would do her best. But she also seemed sad. Unnaturally so for one who was going off to save her country. Takeshi shrugged. It was none of his business. Ninja were discouraged from becoming attached to their clients.

The walk south was uneventful. They passed through the outskirts of the village into a large wood, but after several hours they reached the edge of the plains. From what Takeshi could tell, there were no farms or other indications that this land was being used. Takeshi scouted, using an element of his kekkei genkai to detect the body heat of anyone that might be nearby. He did not sense anyone. From what he could tell, there was no one around. These were untamed lands. After a long day of walking, they picked a secluded hillside and set up camp. There were no trees to burn, so Takeshi took it upon himself to make dinner. It was a simple matter of sitting and concentrating on the flame, holding it beneath the pot where he was making a basic stew. Dried beef, freeze-dried vegetables, and a bit of seasoning. Nothing fancy. Coupled with some bread brought from the village, it made for a decent meal. As they ate, Colette turned to Takeshi.

"I didn't really get a chance to ask last night, but what exactly are ninja? I've never seen one of you before."

Takeshi turned, chewing on a piece of bread as he thought how best to answer the young girl.

"Essentially, we're soldiers. We fight and die for our villages, who can hire us out on various missions- such as this one."

"Yes, but how does that make you any different from a regular soldier? Do you have an expshere?"

"Exshere? Never heard of it. Our powers come from within. We channel our energy, called chakra, through our bodies to perform assorted feats. So what are exshpheres, exactly?"

Kratos held up his fist, displaying the glowing purple orb embedded on the back of his hand.

"Exspheres are strange crystals that awaken dormant capabilities in humans. They allow them to be much faster and stronger, as well as a variety of other effects in combat."

"Just how much faster?"

"That depends on how the owner chooses to train and their inherent strength to begin with."

A thought struck Takeshi.

"That explains how those six were able to keep up with me on the highway...I noticed those orbs, but thought that they were some sort of weird jewelry. How prevalent are these exspheres?"

"Few humans wear them, but the desians seem to have a large number. Almost all of their soldiers are equipped. That's what gives them such an edge."

"That could be troublesome..." Muttered Takeshi.

"So", asked Colette, "what exactly are these feats, Mr. Hojo?"

Takeshi chuckled.

"Just Takeshi is fine. I'm only 17. And the answer is basically anything you can think of. My abilities, though, tend to revolve around fire. It's an inherited ability of my clan. For example..."

With that, he lay on his back and began moving his hands through a series of signs. As he finished, he brought his hands to his mouth. Chakra flowed out, shaped by the hand signs, his breath, and the motions of his hands. A dragon, perfectly formed, flowed into the night sky. He grinned. It was always fun, doing this sort of thing. With his comrades, he'd often use this ability to add a bit of detail to his stories. Twitching his hands, he set the dragon spiraling through the sky. Colette was laughing, Raine appeared to be enjoying the show, and even Kratos looked impressed. After a minute of acrobatics, he let the fire fade.

"That's pretty much all you really need to know- any more and I'll be giving away village secrets. Sorry."

"Oh, Okay!"

Takeshi finished off his stew and stood up.

"I'm going to turn in. I'll take second watch, so whoever takes first, wake me around 2:00."

With that, he pulled out his sleeping bag, lay down, and went to sleep. He tried to fall asleep as fast as he could, seeing as how it would be a short night.

Kratos woke him at the appropriate time, and Takeshi got out of bed, sitting in the lee of the hillside as he waited, listening and sensing. Many missions had taught him techniques necessary for staying awake. He started with a hot cup of tea- his uncle Iroh had introduced him to the wonders that a good hot cup of tea could do for one's concentration and general peace of mind. Not risking a fire, he heated the tea himself, making as little light as possible. He sat, sipping tea and daydreaming as he kept his eyes, ears, and heat-sense open to the surroundings. This combination had served him well, making it virtually impossible for anyone to sneak up on him, so long as he was paying attention.

Nothing happened. Just a long, boring night. Like all of the others Takeshi had had to stand watch for. He remembered a saying that he had heard somewhere- perhaps in school. Warfare is long stretches of tedium interrupted by moments of sheer terror. That seemed to fit his life so far. Between the invasion of his village during those chuunin exams and the ongoing war to destroy the village that had started it, he had seen his fair share of danger. Nearly been killed several times. But now was the tedium. Very few of his escort missions had ever proven to actually have threats attached to them- his team would escort the client to their destination and leave, having been thoroughly bored throughout. With that random attack on his taxi coming into the village, this time around looked to be a bit more difficult. These thoughts occupied Takeshi's head as he packed up his gear and made ready to leave, setting up a simple breakfast of ration bars and tea. He had to rouse both Colette and Raine, but Kratos was already awake and packing when Takeshi went to his bedroll. Takeshi didn't comment, merely sipping his tea and preparing to march.